Carton closing machine

ABSTRACT

An improved machine is provided which is particularly adapted for closing styrofoam egg cartons, and the like. The cartons are carried on a conveyor past two spaced powered toothed creasing wheels, which score the cartons at the hinge lines. The cartons are then carried by the conveyor past ramps and bending bars which close the cover, and which also close a locking lip on each carton into a locked position with the cover.

United States Patent 91 Wyland 11] 3,728,842 51 AprI MfiWB CARTONCLOSING MACHINE [75] Inventor: Roy Bruce Wyland, Arcadia, Calif.

[73] Assignees: Henry Y. Kuhl; Paul R. Kuhl, Sin,

Flemington, NJ. part interest to each [22] Filed: Jan. 21, 1972 [21]App]. No.: 219,807

[52] U.S. Cl ..53/376 [51] Int. Cl. ..B65b 7/26 [58] Field of Search..53/376, 377

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,909,880 10/1959 Mumma..53/377 3,314,217 4/1967 Soennichsen ..53/376 Primary Examiner-TravisS. McGehee Att0rney-Jessup & Beecher [5 7] ABSTRACT An improved machineis provided which is particularly adapted for closing Styrofoam eggcartons, and the like. The cartons are carried on a conveyor past twospaced powered toothed creasing wheels, which score the cartons at thehinge lines. The cartons are then carried by the conveyor past ramps andbending bars which close the cover, and which also close a locking lipon each carton into a locked position with the cover.

5 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures Patented April 24, 1973 3,728,842

4 Sheets-Sheet vI.

' Patented April 24, 1973 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented April 24, 19733,728,842

eeeeeeeeeeeee 5 Patented April 24, 1973 4' Sheets-Sheet 4 CARTON CLOSINGMACHINE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Machines for creasing, forming andclosing egg cartons are known to the art. Such machines are used, forexample, in conjunction with egg cartons of the type having a bottomsection, inclined side walls integral with the bottom section, and ahinged cover. Such cartons are usually made of pulp, styrofoam, or thelike. The styrofoam egg cartons are more difficult to closeautomatically than the pulp type, because they are stiffer, and alsobecause their locking lip at the opening edge of the cover is usuallynarrower than the locking lip of the pulp carton. This means that thereis less leverage to bend the locking lip of the styrofoam egg cartoninto its locked position with the cover. The machine of the presentinvention is especially designed for the closure of the styrofoam typeof egg carton, although it is equally effective for use with pulp eggcartons, and other types.

The prior art machines have a tendency, in the case of the stiffstyrofoamcartons, to lift the entire carton up from the supportingconveyor belt as the cover is being closed, thus causing the eggs to bedumped out of the carton. The machine of the present invention isconstructed so that there is no tendency for the cartons to be lifted upduring the cover closing operation, even though the carton is composedof a relatively stiff material, such as styrofoam.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of amachine representing one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective representation taken from the rear and above themachine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a second perspective representation taken from the front andabove the machine of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 are fragmentary representations of the machine,showing the progress of an egg carton through the machine, as the coverof the carton is closed down over the bottom section, and is locked bythe lip section; and

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a typical styrofoam egg' carton. 2

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS The machineillustrated in FIGS. 1-8 includes an endless conveyor belt 10 which ismounted on a supporting frame 11 and which is driven by an electricmotor 12. The electric motor, likewise, is mounted on the frame. AU-shaped bracket 13 is mounted to the upper section of the frame 11, anda pair of spaced toothed creasing wheels 16 are rotatably mounted on thebracket 13 to be positioned on either side of the conveyor 10. Thetoothed wheels 16 are power driven, for example, by the motor 12 througha chain drive 18.

As will be described, the toothed wheels 16 serve several functions.Specifically, the wheels hold the egg cartons down against the conveyorbelt 10 for good traction between the cartons and the conveyor belt. Inaddition, the wheels are powered, as described above, and therebysupplement the conveyor belt 10 in moving the egg cartons through themachine. This additional drive provided by the powered wheels 16 isimportant in that it has been found that where idler creasing wheels areused, the cartons will jam in the machine as they subsequently engagethe cover-closing ramps and bars provided therein.

The toothed creasing wheels 16 also serve to provide a series ofperforations or scoring marks along hinge lines on the egg cartons oneither side of the bottom section so as to permit the cover and lockinglip to be turned relative to the bottom section more easily, while stillmaintaining sufficient integrity between the sections. The use of thepowered toothed wheels 16 in conjunction with the styrofoam type of eggcarton has proven to be most satisfactory, since they obviate thetendency of the prior art machines to lift the styrofoam cartons up offthe conveyor belt during processing, and causing the contents thereof tobe spilled out.

As an egg carton is moved under the toothed creasing wheels 16, and asbest shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, for example, the line between thelocking lip 20 and the bottom section 21 of the egg carton is engaged byone of the toothed wheels 16, whereas the line between the cover 22 andthe body section is engaged by the other toothed wheel 16. As statedabove, the powered toothed wheels 16 and the conveyor belt 10 cooperatein causing the egg cartons to move between the toothed wheels 16, sothat the aforesaid hinge lines may be properly scored. The scoring isachieved, for example, by the toothed wheels forming a series ofperforations, so as to make the bending of the lip 20 and cover 22 ofthe egg carton, with respect to the bottom section 21 of the carton,easy while still maintaining the integrity of the carton.

Then, and as best shown in FIG. 5, the locking lip 20 of the egg carton,after engagement by the toothed wheel 16, then encounters a bendingroller 26 which feeds the locking lip 29 to the inner surface of abending ramp 24. As the egg carton is conveyed along the conveyor 10,and as shown in FIGS. 5 and 8, for example, its locking lip moves alongthe ramp 24 which is inclined at successively greater angles at points28, 32 and 34, so that the locking lip is folded completely over, as theegg carton is conveyed along the conveyor belt 10.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 8, for example, the locking lip first passesunder a top flange 30 of the ramp so that it will be directed under theramp as the carton proceeds along the conveyor. The locking lip isturned to approximately a 45 angle with respect to the bottom section atthe point 32, and it is subsequently bent over still further at thepoint 34. The locking lip is then bent down to its final position by abar 36 (FIG. 8) which holds the locking lip in its bent position whilethe folding of the cover 22 is being completed, and while the cover isbeing locked to the locking lip.

The cover 22 of the egg carton is folded down over the bottom section 21as the carton proceeds through the machine, this being achieved by meansof a folding bar 40, which is best shown in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7. Asillustrated, the folding bar is shaped so that as the carton is movedthrough the machine, the cover 22 is engaged by the folding bar, and iscaused to turn down over the bottom section.

As pointed out above, there is a tendency in the prior art machines tocause the entire egg carton to turn over as the cover is being closed,and especially in the case of the Styrofoam cartons, this being becauseof the stiffness in the hinge between the cover 22 and the bottomsection 21. In the case of the present machine, the toothed wheels 16hold the cartons down firmly on the conveyor 10, and prevent any tippingof the body section of the carton as the cover is first moved overtowards its closed position by the bar 40. The bar 40 is shaped so thatby the time the carton is free of the wheels 16, the carton is alreadybent almost to its upright position. Thus, there is no tendency forspillage as the closure of the carton is continued.

The cover 22 of the egg carton achieves its nearly closed condition whenthe egg carton has the position shown in FIG. 7. At that point, thecover is in position to-be locked into the usual projections on thelocking lip 20. When the carton reaches the position of FIG. 7, theforward right-hand corner of the cover is engaged by an inclined roller50 which causes the cover to be folded down to its finally closed andlocked position. A pair of guide rails 52 and 66 are provided onopposite sides of the conveyor belt 10. The bottom section 21 of the eggcarton fits between the guide rails 52 and 66, and the upper edges ofthe guide rails 52 and 66 form a base for the action of the wheels 16.The inclined roller 50 biases the cartons laterally against the siderail 52 where the completion of the folding in of the locking lip istaking place. At this particular moment, the carton is held between theroller 50 and the guide rail 52 with the locking lip disposed under thebar 36 of FIG. 8.

The final act in the closing of the carton (FIG. 9) is the engagementofthe cover 22 by a large roller 54 (FIG. 8). The roller 54 is springbiased downwardly by a spring 58 against a stop post 58. The roller 55completes the downward closing of the cover 22, and causes thetriangular locking slot or aperture 25 (FIG. 9) at the edge of the lid22 to lock over the outwardly formed protuberances on the locking lip.

A second roller 60 may also be provided to insure that the cover 22 ofthe egg carton will be pressed firmly down over the locking lip so thatthe protuberances 23 (FIG. 9) on the locking lip will be firmly engagedin their respective apertures 25 in the cover. The first roller 54 isadjusted to assume a position slightly higher than the second roller'66in order that the final folding down of the cover 22 may be carried outprogressively.

The invention provides, therefore, an improved machine for automaticallyclosing the cover and locking lip of an egg carton. An important featureof the machine is the provision of the powered toothed wheels at the.feed end of the machine, and which serve not only to score the hingelines in the carton, but also to assist the conveyor in moving thecarton through the machine, and also in firmly holding the carton downon a frame; conveyor means on said frame for transporting an egg cartonfrom one end of the frame to the other;

guide rails mounted on each side of said conveyor means to define achannel along which the carton is moved by said conveyor means;

a pair of wheels mounted on said frame for rotation about a transverseaxis with respect to said frame, said wheels being positioned on eachside of said conveyor means directly over the respective top edges ofsaid guide rails; and

means for rotatably driving said wheels to cause said wheels to scorehinge lines between said bottom section and the cover and lip sectionsof the carton, and further to cause said wheels to hold the cartonfirmly down on said conveyor means and to assist said conveyor means intransporting the carton from said one end of said frame to the other.

2. The combination defined in claim 1, in which each of said wheels hasteeth extending around .the periphery thereof.

3. The combination defined in claim 1, and which includes a ramppositioned adjacent and extending over one of said guide rails, andhaving a progressively increasing inclination, so as to engage the lipsection of the carton and to cause the lip section to be folded over thebottom section of the carton, as the carton is transported by theconveyor toward said other end of said frame.-

4. The combination defined in claim '1, and which includes an elongatedrod positioned adjacent'to and X'".

tending over one of said guide rails to engage the cover section of thecarton, and to' cause the cover section to be folded down over thebottom section of, the carton as the carton is transported by saidconveyor means towards said other end of said frame.

5. The combination defined in claim 4, and which includes a springloaded roller extending over said conveyor means'adjacent said other endof said frame to engage said cover section and to fold said coversection to a fully closed position with respect to said bottom sectionas the carton is transported toward said other end of said frame bysaidconveyor means.

1. In a machine for scoring and closing egg cartons, and the like, eachsuch carton having a bottom section, a lip section and a cover section,the combination of: a frame; conveyor means on said frame fortransporting an egg carton from one end of the frame to the other; guiderails mounted on each side of said conveyor means to define a channelalong which the carton is moved by said conveyor means; a pair of wheelsmounted on said frame for rotation about a transverse axis with respectto said frame, said wheels being positioned on each side of saidconveyor means directly over the respective top edges of said guiderails; and means for rotatably driving said wheels to cause said wheelsto score hinge lines between said bottom section and the cover and lipsections of the carton, and further to cause said wheels to hold thecarton firmly down on said conveyor means and to assist said conveyormeans in transporting the carton from said one end of said frame to theother.
 2. The combination defined in claim 1, in which each of saidwheels has teeth extending around the periphery thereof.
 3. Thecombination defined in claim 1, and which includes a ramp positionedadjacent and extending over one of said guide rails, and having aprogressively increasing inclination, so as to engage the lip section ofthe carton and to cause the lip section to be folded over the bottomsection of the carton, as the carton is transpOrted by the conveyortoward said other end of said frame.
 4. The combination defined in claim1, and which includes an elongated rod positioned adjacent to andextending over one of said guide rails to engage the cover section ofthe carton, and to cause the cover section to be folded down over thebottom section of the carton as the carton is transported by saidconveyor means towards said other end of said frame.
 5. The combinationdefined in claim 4, and which includes a spring loaded roller extendingover said conveyor means adjacent said other end of said frame to engagesaid cover section and to fold said cover section to a fully closedposition with respect to said bottom section as the carton istransported toward said other end of said frame by said conveyor means.